Sindbad, The Software Engineer

Last friday, like all software engineers my friend and I too were thinking of new reasons to get drunk." It was a hectic week, need to relax" is a cliche and doesn't soothe the guilt anymore.
Aloofness - rest of the room partners went to their home and Frustration - of not getting tickets to the friday release were good enough reasons to drink. And further to add to the rationale was idea to explore the combination of momos with Whisky.

Hence all set -- kurkure are by defaults, veg/non-veg momos and Blender's Pride (Oh yes I know I like Antiquity, but you know Americans are not able to repay their home loans, hence we have to curtail our weekend budgets). And then finally we were to decide about the mood to set up for the rest of the evening - The Music we shall hear!

The "De-Stress Drinkers" (know more) prefer soft,sad types

waise zinda hu zindagi bin tere main
dard hi dard baaki raha hai seene mein
saans lena bhar hi yaha jeena nahi hain
ab toh aadat si hai mujhko aaise jeene mein
juda hoke bhi tu mujhmein kahi baaki hai
palkon mein banke aansu tu chali aati hai

with special appreciation for "ab toh aadat si hai mujhko aaise jeene mein".

But since both my friend and I are on bench ( a term used for employees who are used as bait by Software companies to lure their clients, higher the bench strength suggest an early start up of project. And to add to it, they charge client for maintaining a bench strength. And in the process Employees discover their hidden talents. A perfect Win-Win-Win situation for all. Thanks to population of India that Software Industry can boast to maintain on average 15% bench strength. ) for last 1 month and so we decided to step into shoes of "Macho Drinkers" and decided to listen to Rock On!! ( by Farhan Akhtar, Director, Producer, Actor and now Singer a master player in all the roles.)

"Socha Hai", "Pichle Saat Dino Main", "Tum Ho To" were rocking and we were almost on verge of reaching the stage when we feel we are good dancers, singers etc. I am such a bad singer that even after I am drunk I do not feel that I can sing or more precisely hear myself singing. So obvious choice left was being the dancer. My hair have grown long enough to hit my nose while I do head banging, and I believe it adds to your dancing steps so much that my friend, who would have preferred to be a good singer, got so jealous that started to dance as well.

On the roll we noticed another good song "Sindbad, The Sailor" from the same movie

Woh Anjaane Raahon Mein Tha, Woh Lehron Ki Baahon Mein Tha
Sab Ne Kaha Tha In Samandaron Mein Jaana Nahin
Mere Yaar Sunlo Sunlo…..
Khwaabon Ke Peeche Jaake Kuch Bhi Hai Paana Nahin

I remember hearing the story of Sindbad years back, but couldn't recall the character so decided to surf on web to find out about the guy.But as always the liqueur had finished and we were not satiated. Normally it is a non-drinker friend who is emotionally blackmailed to get more liqueur for us, but since we were alone that day we had to ourselves go out. While queuing in front of a shop with shutter down, but a small hole just big enough to exchange money for the bottle, to purchase alcohol at almost 50% marked up price. There in I noticed a young man almost our age but very strangely dressed. He wore a dress of warriors with a sword, but also was bending towards his left with the weight of laptop bag on his shoulder.Strange enough to attract attention he was surrounded by crowd to whom he was telling some story.

"My name is Sindbad, I am a software engineer" he started.

"My life is very tough I have to almost go through various tough voyages in my career life".

Obviously people rejected that instantly, but he tried "Nobody is more bothered about the world economy and Papa America than us. Besides being concerned about major issues like sub-prime crisis, we have to keep track of foreign policies of each presidential candidate as how each phrase outsourcing of work. As Job being banglored or the flattening of world."

Not everybody there agreed, global cues have made all share traders, exporters sweat too.

"Its not just the global pressure, but being one of the largest contributors as a sector to the economy, the guns are on our head again to meet the nations ."

"The peer pressure is the biggest killer. Obviously we are the ones who have largest exposure to web and social networking.."

Hearing the social networking one of the young listener jumped in between and said "Oh yes, I know Orkut where you guys get to make friends with pretty girls!!".

"Hmm.." Sindbad said "but that was long time back now it is a platform to flaunt your photos taken abroad or status messages suggesting same -- 'Moon Calling..', and its not limited to on site opportunities; those who have traveled would go to professional networking sites like linkedin and feel the heat by mind boggling designation which companies now give -- ' Your Friend JustAnotherSoftwareEngineer is now a Senior-Technical-Analyst-Designer-lead-and-what-not' . And if you are bloody so intelligent (smart?) that you have both still you will envy the ones who are doing an MBA."

Somebody asked if somebody has an MBA and is top shot in an organisation sitting in the global headquarters -- is obviously not reading this.

"We are the point of local condemn, rising house rents expensive living standards are all, it seems, due to the software engineers. If a rikshaw puller asks a local resident Rs 100 for some 2 kilometers, instantaneously the breed of software engineers are cursed..'Sabke dimaag kharaab kar rakhe hain..'. What have we done, isn't this simple demand and supply, with large number of IT companies moving in a city there will be more people migrating to city and with limited resources they are bound to get expensive. If administration foresee the growing population and gives the city a good transport and other basic necessities the cities would in fact become better places to live ."

After the fourth voyage description Sindbad had a silent audience.
"We are the specie with weakest spinal chord" said Sindbad. Smart professional knows how to leverage public emotions."2 of 3 among us suffer from either lower back pain, aching neck, wrists or shoulders." Here I think Sindbad missed eyes then he could have increased the percentage of people suffering.

He continued "There are so many success stories in our sector that we live constantly under pressure to do something different. Most of us work for an entrepreneur, and with media daily coming up with yet another successful IT entrepreneur. Every time we hear these there is a passion to come out of mediocrity and do something different. However the very next day, lethargy prevails and we wear our access cards, groom ourselves to yet another day with one of the voyages to travel "

No sooner there was an open jeep passing by with loud music on..

Us Ka Jahaaz Gira Tufano Mein,
Mere Yaar Sunlo Sunlo…..
Phir Bhi Na Aayi Aandhi Us Ke Armaano Mein

Suddenly I started feeling a bit cold and started looking for a sheet around. I was amazed to see myself in my room sleeping with Laptop (still playing Sindbad, and displaying wiki page about Sindbad) on one side and unfinished peg on the other. I have strong principles I completed the peg, glasses don't get drunk so don't feed them with alcohol and then switched off the laptop, to minimize my carbon footprints. Then after 5 - 10 minutes I realized I had never left my place to get more liqueur, I was dreaming!! Oh it seems "Chemical Locha in mind", Munnabhai got it by excessive reading I by excessive listening. But what about the seventh voyage.Frustrated as if invested 3 hours in a movie and then director of the movie left it to audience to understand the climax. I slept back.

But before I could sleep door bell rang, and to my surprise I saw a tall slim girl standing. She had long brown hair tightly tied back on her head, wearing a white shirt with a black strap around her neck, seemingly holding the access card of an IT organization. Before I could read her name or the organization she spoke "My Name is Cindrella, I work for the same organization in which Sindbad works but on a different project. He looks at me from his desk, we have spent lots of water cooler moments together - intentional and coincidental both. However we have never spoken to each other." The seventh voyage.

Woh Saahil Pe Gaa Hi Gaya ..., Woh Mazil Ko Paa Hi Gaya ..
Us Ke The Jo Sapne Wohin Us Ke The Apne, Aisa Tha Sindbad The Sailor….Software Engineer!!